Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Sold by Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC lessened its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 5.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,697 shares of the company’s stock after selling 90 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $473,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Marriott International by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,024,187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,613,000 after acquiring an additional 46,563 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service grew its stake in Marriott International by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 719,613 shares of the company’s stock valued at $178,896,000 after acquiring an additional 74,832 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in Marriott International by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 613,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,399,000 after acquiring an additional 47,551 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in Marriott International by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 566,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,844,000 after acquiring an additional 2,723 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Marriott International by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 443,103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,156,000 after acquiring an additional 12,702 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on MAR shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Macquarie restated a “neutral” rating and set a $245.00 price target on shares of Marriott International in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $284.05.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total value of $292,463.92. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,551 shares in the company, valued at $1,262,811.48. This represents a 18.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total transaction of $4,031,458.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at $3,971,395.74. This represents a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132 over the last 90 days. 12.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of MAR opened at $280.45 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.32 billion, a PE ratio of 33.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.57. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.55 and a 1 year high of $307.52. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $283.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $267.65.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.90%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.29%.

About Marriott International

Marriott International, Inc engages in operating, franchising, and licensing hotel, residential, timeshare, and other lodging properties worldwide. It operates its properties under the JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, St. Regis, EDITION, Bvlgari, Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Westin, Autograph Collection, Renaissance Hotels, Le Méridien, Delta Hotels by Marriott, Tribute Portfolio, Gaylord Hotels, Design Hotels, Marriott Executive Apartments, Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy, Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott, SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, Aloft Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott, Moxy Hotels, Element Hotels, Protea Hotels by Marriott, City Express by Marriott, and St.